Treasure Hunt
by Miss Peg
Summary: Jane gets a letter at work one day, the next twenty-four hours are quite unlike anything she ever expected / Fluffy fun one-shot (no angst, for a change)
**Author Note : This is a (not so) little bit of fun. I know I write a lot of angst and sometimes it can be tough going. Whilst I do love to delve into characters and write about the intricacies of events in their lives, I do also enjoy the silly, fun, enjoyable moments, too. So here is some fun. If you're a regular reader of mine, you certainly deserve it. I have a busy weekend, so this will be it from me until Sunday at the very earliest. Comments are very welcome, enjoy.**

* * *

"Pack up your things, Rizzoli."

Jane stood up. The files on her desk temporarily abandoned. Her eyebrows pulled together as she contemplated the words Cavanaugh had said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I told you to pack up your things," he said.

The answer didn't suffice. Jane rested her hands on her hips and stared at him. Just because he was her boss, and just because he was sleeping with her mother, did not mean he could make ridiculous demands without a sufficient explanation.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why." She folded her arms across her chest. "What have I done?"

The steely expression on his face softened. The hint of a smirk. He handed her an envelope.

"You're taking a vacation."

He turned and walked away. The words still hovered in the middle of the office. It was the first moment Jane noticed that everyone else was silent; listening, watching. She turned the manila envelope over in her hands. It was blank excepting the number one written in the top right hand corner. She would recognise Maura's script anywhere.

She scowled. "Get back to work, nothing to see here."

Conversations resumed, voices filled the room and Jane sat back down at her desk. She could feel Korsak watching her. She ignored him.

She didn't understand.

"I said get out of here, Rizzoli," Cavanaugh shouted from the doorway.

Jane stood up again. She gathered her things together – phone: check; wallet: check; gun: check. She draped her jacket over her shoulder and walked out of the office.

She hadn't booked a vacation.

By the elevator, she slid a finger under the seal and opened the envelope. Once the doors had opened and closed around her, she pulled out the letter.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _If you're reading this, you ignored the little voice in your head that said Cavanaugh was playing a practical joke on you. He's not._

 _Before you try to argue with someone that you didn't book – nor do you want – any vacation time. It is already done. You are taking two weeks off work and you're going to enjoy it._

 _Your mother is waiting, so hurry along, or you'll be late._

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

"Ma, where are you?" Jane asked, balancing her cell phone between her ear and shoulder. She fumbled with her key in the car lock. She cursed her busted old sedan. "I thought you weren't working today…yes, I'll be there in ten minutes."

The bar's occupancy level was at its lowest – the regular, old drunk, Albert, sat in a corner nursing a scotch. Jane waved a greeting and sat down at the bar.

Angela finished wiping down the counter. "Hello Janie, what can I get you?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "You're the one who knows what the hell I'm doing here."

"No need for that kind of language," Angela said, cracking open a bottle of beer and sliding it across the bar. "You're allowed one drink."

"I don't want any drink," Jane said. Angela reached across the bar with the back of her hand. Jane pulled herself away when her mother's hand moved across her forehead. "What are you doing?"

"You drink too much beer, but you don't see me arguing. Are you sick? Maybe I should call Maura."

"Just tell me what's going on," she said. "I'm taking a vacation, apparently, and Maura sent me here. So, tell me what you need to tell me and let me go find Maura."

"You might as well drink your beer," Angela said, pushing it closer. She picked it up and supped the cool liquid.

Maybe one beer wasn't so bad.

Once the glass was nearing empty, Angela slid a matching envelope across the bar towards her. Jane looked up. Her mother had been sitting on another envelope the whole time. She grimaced.

"I'm just following instruction."

Ignoring her mother's curiosity, Jane walked to a booth on the other side of the bar and ripped open the envelope. She pulled out another letter.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _You are likely to be furious by now. I hope the beer helped. I promise you, it will be worth it in the end. Enjoy the game and try not to let not knowing bother you. You're a detective, this should be easy for you._

 _Find the bird at Newton Seven. Mary-Lou will assist you._

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

Standing up, Jane waved goodbye to her mother and Albert and vacated the premises. She returned to her car. Provided there were no more alcoholic surprises, she could drive home. She sat down in the driver's seat and re-read the letter.

"Newton Seven," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Newton. New Ton. Seven. Find the bird."

Opening her eyes, she turned the key in the ignition and pressed down on the gas.

"It can't be this simple," she said.

Pulling up into a parking lot on Newton Street, Jane climbed out of the car. She walked a couple of blocks down to the corner of Seventh Avenue. She searched a couple of shop windows, until her eyes landed on a picture of the bird. Pushing open the door to the store, Jane walked inside. She approached the counter.

"I'm looking for Mary-Lou."

"Hello," the woman smiled back at her. "I'm Mary-Lou. You must be Jane."

"Yes, yes I am," she said. Despite Maura's clue, she still didn't really know what she was doing there. "I don't really."

"Don't worry," she said. Her exaggerated smile was only mildly nauseating. "I have another envelope for you. Two, in fact."

"Two envelopes?"

The confusion didn't cease the moment she opened the first one. "A gift card?"

"Doctor Isles has instructed that I assist you in purchasing up to two hundred dollars' worth of items in preparation for a vacation you're taking."

"Right," Jane shrugged her shoulders.

Mary-Lou motioned towards the rest of the store. Jane followed her through to the far end. The store was filled with mostly casual wear. She visited on occasion, usually with Maura, who insisted on buying her new clothes whenever she felt like it. Jane had to admit that the store was her favourite.

Together they decided on several pairs of shorts and a number of t-shirts, as well as a swimsuit and a pair of lightweight sneakers. With a smile on her face, Jane took the bags from Mary-Lou and thanked her for all of her help.

"Wait a moment, Jane," Mary-Lou said. She pulled a holdall out from under the counter and handed it across. Jane took it, though she didn't quite know what to do with it. "It's for your clothes. So you have something to carry them in, for your vacation."

"Oh, sure," Jane said, placing the holdall down on the floor and kneeling to transfer her newly acquired goods from their paper bags to the holdall. "You don't happen to know where I'm going, do you?"

"I'm sorry," Mary-Lou said. "Doctor Isles only instructed me to give you the envelopes and the bag. Speaking of which."

Jane took the second envelope from her, thanked her once more and exited. On the walk back to the car her mind drifted off to the places she'd like to be going – two weeks visit to Fenway Park? Doubtful. Maura didn't really like baseball. She doubted they'd be going to Los Angeles again. It was too busy, and Jane had complained the entire time.

Sitting down, she peeled back the fold on the envelope and pulled out the letter.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _I hope Mary-Lou was able to see to your needs. She was instructed only with what you may need, and nothing about the destination of your vacation, so I hope you didn't hound the poor girl too much._

 _You will find out in time, so stop scowling and please enjoy the rest of your journey._

 _There's some cold beers in the fridge. Hurry up, you have somewhere to be at four._

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

Jane closed the front door of her apartment and stalked across to the kitchen. She opened the fridge door. Inside was not a six pack of beers, as Jane expected, but another envelope. She poured herself a glass of water and sat down to open the letter. It was thicker than the previous ones.

Inside she found her passport, which could only mean one thing – they were leaving the country. The options were limitless. Jane had barely left Massachusetts, aside from trips for work. Family holidays were spent at the beach, or at a cabin by a lake. The Rizzoli family were not adventurers, or so she'd been led to believe, before her mother decided they would take an impromptu trip to Italy one Spring Break.

Jane unfolded the letter. She didn't know what Maura had in store for her, but knowing all about Maura's past adventures, it could be anything from visiting an orphanage in war torn Syria to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. If Jane was honest, she wasn't sure she was going to like Maura's vacation plans. Especially if they involved a muddy massage.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _I hope you're not too disappointed that there was no beer in your fridge as promised. It's on its way. Don't worry about packing anything else, I have everything you will need. Unless you absolutely must bring your Red Sox jersey. Then you will need to include it in your baggage._

 _Don't worry about where you're going to end up. I know you hate sand, and would rather die than spend two weeks walking._

 _Be outside at four with your bag and passport. Leave the gun at home, unless you want to spend two weeks in a jail cell._

 _I can't wait to see you,_

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

Rain was in the air. Jane pulled her jacket tightly around her shoulders and sought comfort in the knowledge that they would likely be going somewhere warm. Mary-Lou would not have approved shorts otherwise. She tapped her foot against the tarmac. Several cars passed by. She had no idea what she was looking, or waiting, for. Eventually, a large, black limousine pulled up in front of her. She raised an eyebrow.

"You Jane Rizzoli?"

The man who climbed out of the limousine wore a perfectly pressed suit and a hat. Jane disguised her laughter with a cough. Limousines were not her style, and Maura knew that. She felt sorry for the man paid to drive her around.

"That's me."

He took the bag out of her hand and opened the trunk. Jane walked towards the door, but he swiftly blocked her path and opened it for her. She nodded her thanks and climbed into the back. He lowered his head in through the doorway and smiled.

"Beer's in the fridge, game's on the TV. You've got a great friend."

"She's the best," Jane said, reaching into the little fridge and pulling out a beer. She cracked open the top and drank. Nothing beat a nice cold beer after a day at work. Except maybe Maura. Who, despite Jane hating limousines, was definitely her favourite person.

As the limousine set off, Jane turned on the television screen. Beer, sports, and some time away from work with her favourite person. She wasn't sure things could get much better.

Arriving at Boston Logan International Airport, Jane opened the window and watched the world go by. She scanned the air for planes, trying to decide where she wanted to go. If Maura had come up to her and asked. Honestly? She really didn't know the answer.

"Final stop," the driver said, opening the door and helping her out. He retrieved her bag from the trunk and handed it over. "Doctor Isles said that you are to go to desk forty-two."

Following his instruction, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked into the airport. It was surprisingly busy for a random Tuesday afternoon. Schools were in session, workers were in work, and most people had no place to go. She joined the very short line for desk forty-two.

"Passport," the woman at the desk said, once she'd been called forward.

Jane handed it over. The woman checked it, then she glanced up at Jane, then back down to the passport. Her eyes lit up and a smile spread from cheek to cheek.

"Name?" she asked.

She wasn't sure, but she didn't think it was usual procedure to ask someone their name when it was printed clear as day on her passport. She replied anyway. "Jane Rizzoli."

"It is, it's you," the woman said. She coughed, and regained her composure, before handing the passport back along with her boarding pass and another manila envelope. "Enjoy your trip, Miss Rizzoli."

"Erm," Jane hesitated. "Do you mind if I ask you where I'm flying to?"

"Not at all," the woman said. "The Bahamas."

Jane took a seat in the waiting area and opened the envelope. The more time that passed the more frustrated she became as to what was actually happening, yet at the same time, the more excited she became. She couldn't wait to see Maura again. She just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _By now you will have discovered your destination. I know there are a lot of beaches in the Caribbean. Please don't write it off just yet. Along with the beaches, there is scuba diving, and water sports, and boat rides, and golf. There are numerous different things to see and do, as well as lots of cocktails and glorious food. I hear the hotel we're staying at do an amazing burger. They also import your favourite beer – I checked._

 _For now, have a First Class experience._

 _I await your arrival,_

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

First Class. It couldn't be. Jane had barely experienced economy. She lingered around the entrance to the First Class lounge. It would likely be filled with people in Prada dresses and Gucci suits. Fine coiffured men and women who had more money than they really knew what to do with. Jane looked down at her off the shelf slacks and blouse. She ran a hand through her mess of dark curls. She hovered a moment longer. Then she checked her boarding pass.

"Excuse me," she said, stepping forwards. A man appeared at the First Class lounge entrance. His uniform suggesting his connection to the airline. Jane held out her pass. "Is this for First Class?"

"Come right in, Ms Rizzoli," he said, motioning towards the entrance.

She placed the boarding pass back in her passport and stepped forward. Every step she took, she expected him to stop her. It had been some kind of mistake. She had the wrong ticket. She was not flying to the Bahamas. She was certainly not flying there First Class.

With no Maura in sight, she stood in the doorway, completely taken aback by the high quality furnishings and the lack of people. The hubbub of the relatively quiet airport disappeared with the low lighting and carefully set mood. She turned back to the entrance, debating whether to leave, when the man entered.

"My apologies, Ms Rizzoli," he said, practically bowing as he handed her an envelope.

Jane ripped it open without so much as a thank you to the man. She was tired of waiting for Maura, and the First Class lounge was both inviting and wholly uncomfortable.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _Please stop standing around and take a seat. You belong exactly where you are and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You deserve to fly in style. Everyone should try First Class once in their life. If you go to the bar and speak to Larissa she will organise your pre-flight meal and complimentary drinks. Don't have too many beers, or you'll regret it later._

 _You're getting warmer,_

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

With her stomach full, and her mind a little off centre, Jane lay down on a lounge chair. She watched the television screen in front of her. The rest of the game was playing. Somehow she'd forgotten all about it in the commotion. For once she didn't care much for baseball, she just wanted to arrive at her destination and see Maura. She wasn't sure she deserved any of it, but there was little she could do. Going home was completely unappealing. She didn't vacation well, and had too much holiday time owing to her at work.

Maura knew what she was doing, and she was doing what was best for Jane.

As always.

"Your flight is ready for boarding, Ms Rizzoli."

The man held a hand out and she took it, quite taken aback by his desire to help her to her feet. She followed him out of the entrance of the First Class lounge and he showed her to her gate. She stood and waited, her passport in hand, and the pile of letters tucked carefully into her bag.

On the plane she was showed to an individual pod, with screens and a TV. It was like something out of a futuristic show where people lived in tiny homes and never moved, their bodies outgrowing their unnatural habitats very quickly.

An envelope sat on her seat. She picked it up and took her place, buckling her seatbelt as she waited for them to finish boarding. She glanced around the cabin. A handful of people scattered around other pods were busy, distracted by cell phones and books, laptops and tablet devices.

She carefully unsealed the envelope and read Maura's script.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _Sit back, relax, and enjoy the in-flight entertainment system. The next few hours are all yours. Catch up on that cop drama you've been ranting about for the last couple of months. Or lie down and take a nap. The choice is yours._

 _Don't forget the complimentary snacks and alcohol._

 _Look out for your name on the other side,_

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

They touched down in darkness. Jane reluctantly left her safe place, her comfort zone, and trundled off through the airport to security. On the other side she looked around the Arrivals lounge. There was no sign of Maura. She searched the crowd until her eyes landed on a small, older man in a white shirt holding a sign that read 'Rizzoli'. She stepped forward.

"Hello."

"You must be Jane," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

She took a seat in the back of his car and he drove them away from the hubbub of the airport area. She stared out of the window, watching streetlights and cars fly past. It didn't escape her notice that she'd climbed into a car with someone she didn't know, in a country she knew little about, following instructions in letters. If it wasn't for Maura's perfectly curled lettering, or the tone of her words, Jane would have suspected some lavish plot to kidnap her.

"Enjoy your vacation, Miss Jane," the man said, opening the car door. He handed over her bag and pointed towards the hotel entrance. "The reception desk will help you from here."

"No letter?" she asked, disappointed by the lack of Maura's written word.

He shook his head and climbed back into the car, disappearing before she'd barely taken the first step up to the hotel entrance.

"Hi, I'm," Jane began, but the lady on reception cut her off.

"Jane Rizzoli, you're right on time," she said, handing over a key card. "Your room is three two seven. It's on the second floor. Our porter will take your luggage."

"Thank you."

She took the card and, after a brief argument with the porter, left him with her bag. She took the elevator up to the second floor and, with the porter following close behind, she searched for her room.

"Here you go," he said, pointing to a door.

She slid the key card through the lock and waiting for the green light. Inside the room she turned in a circle, her eyes latched onto everything around her. From the large television, to the even larger bed, couch and dining area. It was less of a hotel room and more of a hotel suite.

Once the porter had left, Jane abandoned her bag by the door and walked into the bathroom. Her jaw dropped. The walls and ceiling were covered in mirrors. The bathtub was larger than her whole bathroom back home.

Back in the room, she picked up an envelope from her pillow and lay down to read it.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _You've made it this far, but it's not over yet. I hope you're ready for two weeks of relaxation and fun. Don't stay up all night watching baseball, we have a tiring morning planned._

 _Enjoy your sleep._

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

She tossed the letter across the room and cursed loudly, before clamping her hands across her mouth. It felt wrong to swear in such an exquisite room. No doubt it was chosen by Maura. After spending so much time on her own, and with complete strangers, she was tired of being alone. She longed for some company and Maura was not there to share her awe with. She rested her head against the pillow and closed her eyes.

The sun shone through the open curtains first thing the next morning. Jane stretched. Her whole body felt utterly relaxed. For a moment she thought the last twenty-four hours had been a dream. Then she saw the massive television across the room, the huge bed she was lay in, and another envelope resting on the pillow beside her.

"Maura," she said, sitting up. She glanced around the empty suite. She clenched her fist around the bed sheets and banged it down on the mattress. "Oh come on, Maura."

She opened the letter and scanned its contents.

x

 _Dear Jane,_

 _Breakfast is on the balcony._

 _Love,_

 _Maura_

x

She slipped off the bed and stretched again. She walked into the bathroom and freshened up, changing her clothes, before she walked out onto the balcony. The sun was shining; the ocean was so close she could almost touch it. Sat on a chair at a small table, covered in different breakfast foods, Maura sat looking the most relaxed she'd ever seen her.

"Morning," Jane said, her voice carried its usual morning husk.

Maura turned and stood up, wrapping her arms around Jane's shoulders. She sunk into her embrace, breathing in the scent of coconut on her hair, and relishing in the feel of her arms tucked neatly around her. She cupped Maura's cheeks and held her face in front of her.

"What did you do?" she asked, her cheeks ached from the smile spread across them.

"Happy Birthday, Jane," Maura said, leaning in. She brushed her lips against Jane's.

"It's too much," Jane said. She'd enjoyed each and every moment of the last twenty-four hours, mostly. She loved that Maura would do such a thing, and hated how much she loved it at the same time. "I don't deserve you."

"I wanted to show you how much you mean to me," Maura said, resting her nose against Jane's. "When I met you all those years ago, I never imagined that we'd be sitting here together. Together-together. I never knew how happy one person could make me, until we realised this was so much more than it once was."

Jane ran her thumbs across Maura's cheeks, she kissed her again, reaching out to her soft lips, hungrily pulling her closer. Her stomach rumbled with the need for food, but her heart ached with the need for Maura.

"Wait," Maura whispered, lifting a hand up and placing it over Jane's lips. "Today is your birthday."

"Thanks for the reminder," Jane said, rolling her eyes.

"But I hope today will also be the first day of the rest of our lives."

"What do you mean?"

Maura lifted up a small box.

Jane's jaw dropped, her mouth opened as Maura cleared her throat. She swallowed a lump that settled in the back of her throat. They'd talked about this time and time and time again. She thought they'd made a decision.

"As I was saying, you make me happy. You are my safe place, my person, you are my family. Please, Jane, will you accept…a key to my house."

She opened the box, and in the place of a ring, sat a key. Jane's lips curved at the edges and she wrapped a hand around the box. She placed it down on the table and enveloped Maura in her arms, their lips crashed together. Jane's noses tickled with the feel of Maura's brushing against her own. She trailed a hand down the back of her white beach dress. She pulled away.

"It's perfect, Maura," she whispered, sitting down at the table, her hand still wrapped around Maura's.

"I'm sorry for tricking you," Maura said, sitting opposite her. "I know we decided we wouldn't marry. But I wanted you to know how important it is to me that we take our relationship forward."

"You want us to live together."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Maura said, clutching Jane's hand. "You and me, in _our_ home."

They ate breakfast, snacking on fruit and croissants. Bacon and eggs. Jane ran a hand across her stomach. She didn't think she'd be able to eat much more. In the silence that followed, Maura watched her, and she watched Maura.

Everything was perfect.

"Maur," Jane said, still picking at a croissant. "You said in your last letter that we had a tiring morning planned, what are we doing?"

Maura took another envelope off a chair from under the table. She handed it over and Jane ripped it open. She read it silently to herself, glancing up at Maura at various points.

"I see," she said, licking her lips. She held the letter out to Maura, pointing to a line. "And how do you propose we do…that?"

Leaning forward, Maura rested a hand against her ear and whispered her response. Jane's eyes grew wide. Her breathing intensified. She stood up, reaching for Maura's hand.

"We'd better hurry up and have a bath then," she said, dragging Maura into the suite.

It was going to be a tiring morning. Even more tiring than running around Boston preparing for a flight. As she stripped off in the bathroom, Jane wondered why she even went to buy any clothes in the first place, because she didn't plan to get dressed again anytime soon.


End file.
